Chapter 9: Quest System
The wind in Sector 11 smelled like rust and gunpowder.
Kael stood beneath the shadow of a half-fallen overpass, alone in a graveyard of concrete. Rebar twisted skyward like broken ribs. Ash drifted through the still morning like dying snow. His cloak—tattered, mended—rippled behind him in the breeze.
He drew Kureha. Once. Twice. Again.
Each motion measured. Each slash cutting the silence as cleanly as it cut the air.
> [Draw Cut – Sync: 14% → 14.5%]
[Form Rating: B-]
[Clarity Cost: -1]
The blade rang with weight. Too much pressure in the hips. Kael clenched his jaw. He could feel the hesitation—even if the steel didn't falter, the motion did. Draw. Sheathe. Adjust.
Again.
> [Draw Cut – Sync: 14.5% → 15%]
[Milestone Achieved – Weapon Affinity Threshold Reached]
[Ronin Class Path Adjusted – Progress: 23%]
He exhaled.
The air shifted. Not colder—tighter, as if something unseen acknowledged the change.
Then came a system ping that felt deeper than the usual noise.
> [SYSTEM UPDATE – QUEST FUNCTIONALITY UNLOCKED]
Welcome, Kael Draven.
Based on recent combat proficiency and class stability, system-regulated quests are now available.
—————————————————————
Quest Type: Solo
Rank: D
Objective: Eliminate Monster Nest
Location: Sector 12 – Sublevel B
Threat Level: Moderate
Time Limit: 3 Hours
Rewards: CP (Completion Points), Equipment Drop Chance, Rank Evaluation
—————————————————————
Kael blinked, then scoffed.
"So now it wants to pretend it has structure."
Menus. Metrics. Boundaries. This world bled like a grave, but now it offered incentives?
Still… he wasn't in a position to turn away experience.
He gripped Kureha tighter.
"Alright. Let's play."
---
Sector 12 was rot in concrete form.
A crater of collapsed buildings and scorched metal. Rooftops folded inward like crumpled bones. Kael moved along rusted walkways, eyes sharp, boots silent. He didn't check the map. Didn't need to.
He could feel where monsters gathered now. His instincts had learned the scent of death.
The trail led him to a metro tunnel—swallowed by overgrowth, ribbed in rust and reeking of damp earth.
> [Entering Quest Zone: Sublevel B]
[Mission Parameters Active]
[Warning: Respawn Disabled – Severe Penalty on Failure]
Kael stopped cold.
Of course.
No checkpoint safety net. One shot. One chance. That felt... honest.
He descended.
---
The air inside the tunnel was thick and wrong. Mold. Decay. Blood.
Kael pressed against the wall, Kureha drawn, each step calculated. His boot brushed a torn ration wrapper—fresh. Someone had been here.
And died.
The body waited just around the bend, slumped across broken rails.
> [Deceased: Scout-Class – Lv. 5]
Cause of Death: Disembowelment
Time Since Death: 11 Minutes
Acid Residue Present
Kael crouched. Checked the corpse's weapon. Bent, broken. Scorch marks near the spine. Claws.
Then he heard them—clicking limbs on concrete. Twitching. Hungry.
Three shadows moved toward him, eyes glowing dimly in the dark.
> [Nest Drone – Lv. 5]
Traits: Fast, Pack Instinct, Acid Spit
Danger Rating: Yellow
Kael drew breath.
Stepped forward.
> [Draw Cut – Activated]
He blinked across the floor, sword flashing—
The first fell clean, split at the neck. The second lunged—Kael ducked, stabbed upward, tore its throat out. The third clipped his side before he slashed it down hard enough to split it in half.
> [Wound: Minor – Melting Burn]
[EXP +210]
[Quest Progress: 3 / 9 Enemies Eliminated]
Kael winced at the sting of acid. His cloak hissed as it smoked. He tore the sleeve free and kept moving.
---
The nest stank of bile and fungus. The deeper chamber spread like a dome beneath the city—its walls laced with bone, pipe, and root. Heat pulsed from somewhere unnatural. Kael didn't wait.
Iaido Step triggered — his body flashed forward in a shadow blur. Two drones fell before they saw him. A third lunged. He rolled beneath it, spun, drove his blade up through its underbelly.
> [EXP +220]
[Quest Progress: 9 / 9 Enemies Eliminated]
The room fell still.
Then the walls shuddered.
> [Mini-Boss Detected – Spawning Now…]
Something uncoiled from the ceiling like a cocoon peeling open.
It landed with a squelch of mass and bone.
> [Nest Matron – Lv. 7]
Sub-Boss Class – Mutated Variant
Traits: Armor Burst, Acid Spray, Lunge Tackle
Danger Rating: ORANGE
Kael stared, breath caught.
"Of course."
---
She moved faster than her size allowed.
The first tackle sent Kael crashing through a rusted pipe. The air left his lungs in a wheeze.
> [HP: 88 / 170]
[Status: Bleeding – Moderate]
He staggered to his feet.
Drew again.
This time, he used Iaido Step mid-stride — Kureha flashed as he reappeared behind her.
Strike to the back of the knee. Bone cracked.
> [Draw Cut – Sync: 15.5%]
[Weak Point Hit – x2 Damage]
The matron shrieked and twisted. Acid burst from her jaws, hissing along the ground. Kael leapt sideways, but the fumes still singed his vision. His eyes burned. Every breath was fire.
Still he stood.
She lunged again.
Kael dropped into stance.
Waited.
Waited—
Drew.
> [Draw Cut – Sync: 16%]
[Finisher Bonus Triggered – Critical Execution]
[Enemy HP: 15% → 0%]
The matron slammed into the wall behind him — lifeless before the impact finished. Her body dissolved into pale particles.
Kael dropped to one knee.
Chest heaving. Blade steady.
Kureha hummed faintly in his grip — not with power, but resonance.
Then came the ping.
> [Primary Quest Complete]
Rank Evaluation: B+
Completion Points Earned: +60 CP
Equipment Drop: Matron's Fang Blade (Rare)
Bonus: +1 Reputation Point
World Rank Updated: #9,011
EXP Gained: +460
[LEVEL UP – Lv. 6 → Lv. 7]
He stared at the rare weapon glowing on the floor.
He didn't move.
His eyes settled on Kureha instead.
The blade shimmered faintly, pulsing with quiet power.
> [Kureha – Sync Bonus Unlocked: Keen Edge]
+4% Critical Rate vs Elite-Type Enemies
Kael sheathed it gently.
"I'll stick with you."
---
📊 Kael Draven – Status (End of Chapter 9)
Level: 7
Class: Ronin (Unique)
Wounds: Moderate Acid Burn – Healing
Mental Clarity: 6
Ash Memory: 9%
CP (Completion Points): 60
Reputation: 1
EXP: 40 / 950
World Rank: #9,011
Primary Weapon
Kureha – The Withering Blade
Sync: 17%
Ghost Edge – Bonus damage vs previously encountered enemies
Keen Edge – +4% crit rate vs elite-type enemies
Skills
Draw Cut Lv. 1 (Sync: 17%)
Iaido Step Lv. 1
Reflex Trace Lv. 1
Perks
Edge Memory – Bonus vs enemies fought before
Keen Edge – Critical chance bonus vs elite-class threats
Status: Burned, Focused, Advancing
Checkpoint: Sector 10 Beacon